Everyone has to live someplace. Most of us think our home is the best place. For a majority of The Suburban Times readers, that means Lakewood, Dupont, University Place, or Steilacoom is the place to be, but how can one be sure they are living in the best location on earth? There is a proven way to tell. Leave home and spend some time someplace else. You then are free to compare home with someplace else.
BMW F700GS – Low.To do my part and to fulfill my obligation to society, I am planning to ride a motorcycle, a BMW F700GS-Low to be specific, up to Deadhorse, Alaska.
If I make it that far without being knocked off my motorcycle by a grizzly, I might as well ride all the way to the Arctic Ocean near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I will bring my swimming trunks. After all how many people have bragging rights for having swum in the Arctic?
I will not know if Prudhoe Bay is better than Lakewood until I get there. To compare, I will look at such things as traffic conditions, crime statistics, and for sure I will check to see if they have a Rental Housing Safety Inspection Program.
Map of Alaska.Find Anchorage, Alaska towards the bottom of the map and then follow the road to the Arctic. Now that route appears to me to be ripe for a bundle of Westside Story articles.
I plan to take some Alaska wildlife photos including the Alaska State bird, the mosquito.
I have time to think about this adventure, because right now it is 10 degrees above zero in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks is experiencing a heat wave as the temperature is predicted to be rising to 14 degrees above zero.
About six months from now if you see me riding my Harley, look for Alaska or Bust sign. If you spot my sign you will know I am on my way to explore the last frontier.
I would imagine after riding through the mud, being chased by grizzly bears and carried off by Alaska’s Texas-size mosquitos, Lakewood will look pretty good to me, but I will not know until I check it out.
If I chicken out, maybe I will ride into South Prairie in Eastern Pierce County.
Arctic or bust will be my 21st annual BAMR. Because this is a family friendly newspaper, lets just say the acronym, BAMR, means Big Annual Motorcycle Ride.
Sounds like a fun trip! It’ll be one you’ll never forget, I’m sure. I had the pleasure of spending a week in “nearby” Barrow in August of 1994. Our flight stopped in Prudhoe Bay on the way and I was amazed by all the oil drilling pads in that area. You could also follow the Alaska pipeline almost all the way up – easy to see from the air. Quick weather tip – it snowed in Barrow the week after I left, still in August. Of course, back then you could still see the artic sea ice from shore…
Joe, If your ride starts in Fairbanks (or Anchorage), what is the distance to Deadhorse, and do you make it all the way to the Artic Ocean? What an accomplishment.
The secret to such a trip is to keep moving…I can attest to the concern about mosquitos, having kayaked part of the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories in 1997. We found that getting more than about 50 feet from shore solved the mosquito problem, but we couldn’t very well sleep for a month of nights on the water. Of course, being on a motorcycle will not permit such a solution.
Take several cans of bug spray to spray inside your tent before retiring…my 6×8 foot tent displayed not a single square inch of floor space without a dead mosquito as I turned in each night. And my arms resembled chicken pox at the end. To northern mosquitos, repellant is just an appetizer prior to the main course – you!
Nonetheless, if I had a motorcycle, I’d ask to join you. What an adventure! And a sure source of lots of stories.
Surely you jest. DeadHorse at Prudhoe Bay is a workcamp facility, not a city, town or village. There is nothing north of the Arctic Circle to compare. Barrow is an Active vibrant community with modern facilities, schools, government, rules and regulations. People rent and own homes, children play in the streets, and shop in stores. If you want a challenge and a reality check ride your motorcycle to Barrow.
(I worked/lived/existed in Prudhoe Bay, and worked/lived/enjoyed Barrow)